The same ideals that once drew Deb Steketee to journalism lured her into the emerging realm of sustainability nearly 30 years ago.

Now the director of Aquinas College's Center for Sustainability, Steketee helps propel the region forward in its pursuit of a social and environmental equilibrium. One key to that, she says, has been the collaboration of business, rather than the combative relationship industry and environmentalism endure elsewhere.

"... What's good for the environment is good for the economy and vice versa," Steketee notes. "That was an important lesson for me to learn as an environmental activist.

"We have some of the leaders in sustainable business in the country and perhaps even on an international scale," she continues. "That's something to be very proud of. That is where we are grasping complexity of it all."

Steketee started her position at Aquinas, where she teaches in the college's sustainability program, three years ago after achieving a Ph.D. at Indiana University's School of Public and Central Affairs.

"I had been teaching geography part-time, as my daughter was young, and I was beginning to look for an opportunity that would allow me to mold my personal interests and academic interests, and I saw a posting for the sustainable business job," she says.

The idea of applying the power of business to change practices appealed to Steketee, who said we are at a critical juncture.

"We have all shades of green in our community. To me that is a very interesting place to be and a very important place to be. We have ... the resources to make this a centerpiece of West Michigan's economy. There are efforts to take us in that direction."

Were you always outdoors as a kid?Steketee attended Ken-O-Sha Park School in Grand Rapids as a child, which incorporates the environment into education.

"That was a very important part of cutting my teeth and understanding how nature worked," Steketee remembers.

Steketee adapted that interest into a full-fledged love of the outdoors, which is where she and her family enjoy spending most of their time. In fact, she and her husband went fly fishing on their first date, and that remains a favorite hobby of Steketee's.

"We have a family cabin we go to in Baldwin. That's a wonderful place to explore nature."

What are some myths about sustainability?"We're already doing sustainability," Steketee responds. "I don't agree with that assessment. None of us knows what sustainability is. We are exploring this together. It causes us to reassess some fundamental assumptions of how we've done things in past .... We need to be focusing on next practices."

Steketee also warned that some so-called green products or services are not what they seem.

"The green washing very much concerns me," she says. "I feel many people do not have the ability to discriminate one claim from another."

Examine certifications closely, she warns. Scrutinize who is verifying the standards behind the certifications.

But overall, many western Michigan businesses have embraced sustainability, driven in part, she thinks, by the connection many executives have to the natural world, whether they be fishers, hikers, boaters or birders.

"That heritage is part of our DNA within the region," she says. "That makes me optimistic."

This interview was conducted by B. Candace Beeke.
To be considered for the "Profile," e-mail candaceb@mbusinessreview.com.